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Experience sending small packages from United States to Ukraine
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Posted by: Davepdx

Hello All,

My girlfriend and I are at the embassy phase of the visa application process. I need to send her some documents to include with all the paperwork she has to complete.

My girlfriend lives in Nikolaev (Mykolaiv).
Has anyone had good experience a particular delivery service such as Federal Express. DHL, UPS, USPS?

USPS is the least expensive, but none of the letters I sent through regular mail ever reached my girlfriend.
I do not know if using the USPS highest international service, Global Express Guaranteed, is likely to get there.
I definitely do not want my name, address, birth date, and social security number to fall into the wrong hands!

Thanks for your help.

Posted by: royalpalace774

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davepdx

Hello All,

My girlfriend and I are at the embassy phase of the visa application process. I need to send her some documents to include with all the paperwork she has to complete.

My girlfriend lives in Nikolaev (Mykolaiv).
Has anyone had good experience a particular delivery service such as Federal Express. DHL, UPS, USPS?

USPS is the least expensive, but none of the letters I sent through regular mail ever reached my girlfriend.
I do not know if using the USPS highest international service, Global Express Guaranteed, is likely to get there.
I definitely do not want my name, address, birth date, and social security number to fall into the wrong hands!

Thanks for your help.

This is the best and least expensive way to send documents to the Ukraine. It should cost you around $35.00. I used it a few weeks ago and everything I sent to my girl arrived within 7 days of me sending it. This is also the service your girl should use to send documents back to you. Call the toll free number and speak to a rep.

http://www.meest.us/

Posted by: AkMike

I've sent and recieved letters and packages thru USPS w/o problems. DHL is the most common big carrier I've seen there. I can't recall seeing any Fed-EX or Big Brown trucks there ever. My CR-1 paperwork was sent DHL or hand carried by me. BUT it was around $100 for a thick packet of paperwork.

Posted by: GoingToRussia

DHL is the best way to go if you want a gaurantee delivery. Some how their packages don't go to the countries customs office or they hire customs people from that country ... something like that. Anyway, the package is never out of their sight and never in the hands of a different country. I too never get anything delivered using the USPS.

Posted by: heyjimi

I sent a CD one time to a girlfriend in Nikolaev,ukraine by usps....it took 7 weeks to get there,it was opened.but it did arrive(shipped from Florida).And i sent a package to Uzbekistan from Florida thru usps....it took 6 weeks. I think there must be a better way. USPS seems too long.
Jim

Posted by: Davepdx

I initiated this thread.
Let me tell you what worked and what did not.
I tried www.meest.us as suggested.
When I called the main phone, I was given another phone number in California as I live on the West Coast, Portland.
When I called the California phone number, I was given a number of their "local agent" in the Portland area.
I left a message on the Portland phone number twice, but never had my phone call returned.
Perhaps you get good service if you are in a city where www.meest.us has an office. But I will never call them again.

I sent my documents by DHL.
It was a little expensive, but they have offices all over Ukraine, and I could track my package on DHL's website until it arrived. I also have lots of confidence in DHL that my documents with lots of identify theft information will get to its destination unopened.

I will definitely use DHL again.

I would not use any type of mail delivery. I sent 8-12 letters through the US Postal Service to Ukraine. None of them arrived to their destination. I was told my others on this forum the reason is corruption in the Ukrainian postal service. It could also be incompetence.

Posted by: AkMike

"It could also be incompetence."

Much the same as USPS..

Posted by: GoingToRussia

Yes DHL is the best. I recently tried FedEx. You can track this package too and my girl had to sign for it so it appears FedEx works quite well also ... and a little cheaper. I think it took 5 days to get to Moldova, not to Russia or the Ukraine ... which might be a different story.

Posted by: miracle

Hello,
it give me a great pleassure to write you after viewing your profile which really interest me to have communication with you if you will have the desire with me so that we can get to know each other and see what happened in future.
i will be very happy if you can write me through my email for easiest communication.

i will be waiting to hear from you.
have a blessed day.
from miracle

Thanks for your help.[/QUOTE]

email link deleted

Posted by: sidney

MIRACLE, I believe GTR is taken.
Sid

Posted by: GoingToRussia

HE HE HE - Yes I'm taken and been "taken"!

I'll be friends with Miracle. You can never have enough RW as friends!

Posted by: laterider

Thanks for this thread Dave. All I have ever seen in Ukraine are DHL trucks, so I think when I need to send important docs I'll go with DHL.

I do have experience with USPS Global express and the results were sad:
Packet of photos: 3weeks
Box of Gifts for new year: 6weeks!!!

I'll never do USPS again, the Gifts totally missed the Christmas/New Years Trip and I had to buy gifts for everyone when I got there before New Years!!!

Posted by: disculmawsu

Quote:

Originally Posted by laterider

I do have experience with USPS Global express and the results were sad:
Packet of photos: 3weeks
Box of Gifts for new year: 6weeks!!!

I'll never do USPS again, the Gifts totally missed the Christmas/New Years Trip and I had to buy gifts for everyone when I got there before New Years!!!

I had a similar experience this December, but I suspect it had less to do with USPS. I suspect it mainly due the volume of packages being sent to Russia and out. My postal clerk reminded me that I should sent the package out before December 1st. She explained that customs offices are usaully very busy during that time of year. Also, there was a delay in the package my friend and her mother sent to me and my family (hers was about week "late", mine was ten days "late").
I tracked my package to my friend and USPS had it in Moscow in about 4 days and sat in customs for almost two weeks.
Do I understand that sending things to Ukraine (or Russia), especially outside of the capital can take longer.
I found DHL and UPS extremely expensive (at least based their rate charts) and decided to stick with traditional mail.

Posted by: blucatz

I sent a regular card to Omsk via USPS, but used a Global express priority envelope w/signature. It arrived in 20 days, still have not gotten my confirmation signature from USPS that it has been delivered yet. It was mailed in January.